A Moment
by EnglishPoet18
Summary: Set in season 4, after Joe's group and Rick's big bite. A moment between Michonne and Rick, no Daryl. Rated M, but barely. I own nothing from The Walking Dead.


**Hello again! Trying my hand at some Richonne thanks to a lovely prompt from VickiH. This scene was during season four just after Joe's group came through and Rick went all "cannibalistic" and took a chunk out of Joe's neck. (totally justified if you ask me) But anyway, this moment originally belonged to Daryl and Rick, but for this we're just going to pretend that Daryl didn't come up with Joe's group and so it's still just Rick, Michonne, and Carl. It's not that long, but I'm merely getting my feet wet and trying something new. I'd love to know what you think! :)**

...

His son had almost been raped. He shuddered at just how close Carl had been from having his childhood ripped from him. Never again would he let his guard down in this world. The world didn't need farmers, it needed survivors and he vowed that his family would be among them even if it took his last breath.

Rick's fists tightened involuntarily as the events of the night replayed in his mind over and over again. He felt broken, but at the same time a renewed energy flowed through his veins.

"You need some sleep too," Michonne's nearly quiet voice drifted from the cracked window of the car.

"I'm fine."

He heard her quietly exit the vehicle and then she was beside him, "You're not fine. In fact, you look like shit with all that blood covering you. You can't see it, but we can."

He studied her face in the night and then sighed before leaning to the side to grab a spare rag from his back pocket. He had grown accustomed to the habit after watching Daryl carry that damn red rag of his around everywhere. He barely glanced at the condition of it as he began to wipe at his face. Michonne watched him for a moment and then clucked her tongue before swiping it from him. She took the only bottle of water that they had and moistened the tip of the rag.

"Hold still," she said as she grabbed his chin and began scrubbing at his face. It felt strange yet comforting to have her so close to him. It struck him at that moment that no woman had touched him like this since Lori had passed and he voiced that out loud without thinking.

"Haven't had a woman touch me since Lori passed...unless ya count Judith."

He watched the corner of her mouth slant upwards in the tiniest of smiles and her face softened just a bit before reverting back to her usual expression of seriousness. "Well I'm not sure you're gonna get any offers with this new look either."

He impulsively grabbed her hand and they both grew still as they stared at one another. "But you're here," he said softly.

After a moment she nodded in agreement, "I am."

There was a multitude of feeling traveling through him and he wasn't sure which way he needed to go. He let go of her hand and leaned back against the car staring out into the night. He thought about Lori and how things used to be between them...how it used to be so good there in the beginning. It still cut him like a knife when he thought about how their marriage had failed so miserably. He wasn't even sure exactly where it had all gone wrong.

And then there was Michonne. She was gorgeous and so strong that sometimes he forgot how much of a woman she really was. Then there was now and he kind of felt like they were having some sort of moment, but he wasn't entirely sure because it had been so long since he had experienced anything like this. She was warm, soft, and her skin seemed luminous in the light of the moon. He wanted to touch her in that moment, but he didn't know how she would react.

Michonne leaned forward and continued to swipe at him, her breasts dangerously close to his face. Rick breathed in deeply, "You smell good."

She smirked and eyed him warily, "I think your senses are a little skewed."

He shook his head, "I think you just don't know how to take a compliment."

She raised a brow, "Oh, is that what that was?"

He chuckled, surprised to find that he was enjoying this conversation immensely. "Yeah," He ran a hand through his hair. "It's been a while...cut me some slack."

"Been a while for what?" Michonne asked absently.

"Been a while since I've flirted with a woman," Rick stated softly.

She paused in her scrubbing and cast her eyes down to his face. She was so close he could feel her warm breath fanning across his skin. "Is that what you call this?" She asked.

Rick shrugged, laughing lightly, "Hell, I don't know. Do we have to label it? Can't I just be a guy telling you that you smell nice? Hasn't anyone ever told you that before?"

Michonne faltered, "Well yeah, but it's been a long time."

"I understand that. For the longest time I thought that when Lori died I deserved to suffer for the way that I shunned her after she got pregnant. I wished that things between us could have gone differently for Carl...and now for..." Rick broke off and looked into the distance, thinking about his baby girl. Michonne's fingers grazed his cheek and brought him back to her with that one simple touch. He smiled sadly, "I'm sorry-"

"Don't. You don't need to constantly apologize to me. Not for that."

Rick nodded, "You're right...I forgot what I was saying."

"I believe you were telling me something about how absolutely fantastic I smelled," she replied in an amused voice.

He captured her hand and held it to his lips for a brief moment, his eyes meeting hers, "There is that," he murmured. He skimmed his fingers down her arm, "Your skin is so smooth," he commented in amazement.

She shrugged, "Good genes."

He laughed and agreed, "Very good." His lips opened just a notch and he kissed her fingertips just to see her reaction. When she twitched just a bit he began to kiss the palm of her hand and unconsciously she inched toward him. They stopped mere inches from each others lips. "You know," Rick whispered, "When I first saw you on the other side of that fence, I knew you were gonna be trouble."

She snorted softly, "And I knew you were going to be an intolerable pain in my ass."

He hummed low in his throat. "It _is_ a nice ass," he murmured.

She arched an eyebrow, "So you've been lookin'?"

"Possibly."

"Stalker. What am I going to do with you?" She asked.

"Kiss me," He uttered the words before he could chicken out, but he refused to take them back because he realized that he did want to kiss her. He waited with bated breath for her response. The ball was in her court now and he was just waiting on the pass.

And then she kissed him. Her fingers came to rest atop his broad shoulders as her soft lips crashed into his own. Rick was taken aback. It had been so long and the last woman that he ever kissed had been Lori, but she wasn't Lori and she was different, but somehow she was so much better. There was no negativity between them and no expectations. They were just two people who happened to crave each others touch. He placed a tentative hand upon the small of her back, sliding it up a notch to where her shirt rode up over her cargo pants and he could feel her bare skin. She moaned a little and encouraged by that sound, he tried harder, summoning up every trick he could remember from his younger days. Her hand slid down the front of his shirt and somehow she slipped between the buttons and rested it upon his chest where his heart beat strongly. She pulled away from the kiss and they both caught their breath. Eyes locked onto him, she slid onto his lap and his long legs spread wide to accommodate her. Reaching behind her she grabbed his hand and placed it upon her ass then smiled at him broadly when he gave it a firm squeeze.

"Feel better?"She asked.

"No," he admitted with a glance down between them. "Worse."

"What now?" He asked gruffly.

"You tell me Romeo."

"I don't have any condoms," Rick said suddenly.

"So you're assuming that because I've kissed your hairy mug that I'm going to automatically put out now?" She asked.

Rick felt his face redden and then she bursted out laughing and he let out a deep breath. "My God..you're too good at this shit."

"I'm just messing with you. I'd have sex with you," she said nonchalantly.

"Christ," he shook his head. "Thanks." She grabbed his hand and slid it underneath her shirt so that he was palming her breast. He was stunned into silence and then he ever so gently rubbed the tip of one finger over her nipple, watching her eyes darken in response.

Could he really have sex with her, right here? He wanted her...that much he knew, but he had a feeling that once he got himself a good taste of her he wouldn't want to stop. There was also the fact that Carl was asleep in the car right above their heads. There was so much shit going on that he wasn't even sure he was entirely in his right mind at this moment. Then there was the fact that she was so warm, inviting, and..._all woman._ He wanted to explore all of her curves, but it just wasn't the right time and he had a feeling she was worth the wait.

A look of surprise crossed her face when he removed his hands and pulled her in close to him instead. He tightened his arms around her toned body and squeezed her tight. After a moment's hesitation she responded by wrapping her arms around him as well and he took several minutes just to enjoy the moment. She was so comfortable in his arms that he finally felt his body relax and he started to drift off, catching himself and jerking awake. She pulled back and studied him.

"Get some sleep. I'll take watch." She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and slid from his lap to sit next to him.

He tried to fight off the sleep that threatened him, "No. I'll be alright."

"You won't if you don't get any sleep. Now do as I say," she said sternly.

He chuckled softly and felt for her hand, entwining their fingers together. "Always the dominatrix," he muttered.

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet."

"Lookin' forward to it. Wake me if you see anything." She muttered something in reply, but sleep was already dragging him under and for the first time since the prison had fallen, Rick finally felt a sense of peace settle over his body. If for some reason the others didn't make it, he knew that they would be alright there together. He would make sure of it.


End file.
